December 2012 MMA News Archive - Page 6

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Alessio Sakara (15-10 MMA, 6-7 UFC) and Patrick Cote (18-8 MMA, 5-8 UFC) will have to wait a bit longer to settle their business; a recently announced rematch at UFC 158 between the two middleweights has been scratched.
Sakara recently announced that kidney issues will keep him out of action into early 2013.
A UFC official told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) a replacement will be named shortly.

There is no training camp in mixed martial arts that doesn’t go through an overhaul every now and again, and it’s happening this time to the Las Vegas based team Xtreme Couture.
Founded in 2006 by UFC legend Randy Couture, Xtreme Couture didn’t take long to make a splash on the scene as one of the biggest gyms in all of mixed martial arts, producing top fighters as more and more great names moved to Las Vegas to work there.
With Couture at the helm, the team produced a bevy of UFC talent over the years and new fighters came in by the droves to work with the legendary coach and his staff.
But like anything in this world, sometimes change is going to happen – for better or for worse.

Hector Lombard jumped out to an early lead at UFC on FX 6, and fellow middleweight Rousimar Palhares never recovered before suffering a first-round TKO loss.
But Palhares' reps said there's a reason the fighter quickly faded.
According to a statement sent to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com), the submission specialist suffered ligament damage and broken bones in his right foot after throwing an early-fight kick.
Lombard (32-3-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and Palhares (14-5 MMA, 7-4 UFC) fought in a featured bout at UFC on FX 6. The event's main card, which took place at Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre in Queensland, Australia, aired on FX this past Friday in the U.S. (Saturday in Australia due to the time difference).

Fresh off a stint on "The Ultimate Fighter 16," big-show vet Sam Alvey has signed with the Canadian-based MFC organization and will get an immediate title shot.
Officials announced Alvey (19-4) will meet reigning middleweight champion Elvis Mutapcic (12-2) at "MFC 35: Reality Check."
The co-headliner takes place at Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The main card airs on AXS TV.

St-Pierre, who UFC President Dana White said asked for the matchup, said his logic is simple. He believes a fight with Diaz is the matchup fans want to see.
"This fight has been waiting to happen for a long time," St-Pierre said. "It's the big fight. That's what people want to see.
"Everybody wants to fight me now. It's crazy. I cannot split myself in half. If I would have not have done that, I would do another fight, and fans would have complained. If I fight another guy, they both would have complained. What do you want me to do? I cannot split myself in different pieces and fight guys all at the same time."
St-Pierre and Diaz were, of course, supposed to fight in 2011 before the challenger was pulled from the matchup for infamously failing to handle his pre-fight obligations. Diaz would eventually go on to lose to Carlos Condit and suffer a yearlong suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission after failing a post-fight drug screen.
Meanwhile, Hendricks is riding a five-fight win streak that includes victories over top contenders Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck and Martin Kampmann, among others.
Still, St-Pierre insists he believes Diaz is the rightful No. 1 contender based on his career accomplishments and the face that "Rush" thinks Hendricks actually lost a razor-thin decision to Koscheck.
"I believe Diaz is No. 1 ranked," St-Pierre told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "The guy has been there for a long time. He took out a great name (in B.J. Penn). His fight with Condit is very controversial. For some people, he won the fight. For some people, he lost.
"Hendricks, when he fought Koscheck, personally I would have given the fight to Koscheck. … I speak with my heart, and that's what I believe. I would have given Koscheck that fight, even though I don't like Koscheck."
Which led St-Pierre to Diaz. He still thinks Hendricks is likely next should he earn a win over Jake Ellenberger in another big fight on the UFC 158 card. He also knows Silva is lurking in the background, but St-Pierre thinks he'll need time to pack on the muscle necessary to compete with the world's best 185-pounder.
After a lengthy time away from the sport to recover from injury, St-Pierre said he simply doesn't want to take that kind of break right now. He's itching to fight, and Diaz provides the perfect opportunity.
"I do feel bad for Johny Hendricks, but put yourself in my shoes," St-Pierre. "[Diaz] is a big fight. For me, right now, it's the fight that makes the most sense. If I fight Anderson Silva, I have to go up in weight. It will take me time. I cannot fight Anderson in March. It would take time. So right now, I take the fight that is the most logical.
"I just came back from 19 months. It's a long time, and the fight that people wanted to see that I can give it to them fast and when it's time to do it is Diaz. … So it's a big fight that people want to see me in, Diaz and I, so I want to make this fight happen for myself, for the fans and for the UFC."

LAS VEGAS – As expected Mike Ricci is returning to his normal weight class, and following a runner-up finish on "The Ultimate Fighter 16," he's aiming for a spot on the recently announced UFC 158 card.

During the live broadcast of tonight’s TUF 16 Finale the Ultimate Fighting Championship announced three key welterweight matchups for the upcoming UFC 158 event in Montreal, including a bout between Jake ‘The Juggernaut’ Ellenberger (28-6) and Johny ‘Bigg Rigg’ Hendricks (14-1) as that third fight.
The other two previously identified matches include a welterweight title match between champ Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz and a rematch between Rory MacDonald vs. Carlos Condit.
UFC 158: St-Pierre vs. Diaz is expected to take place on March 16, 2013 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

GOLD COAST, Australia – Ross Pearson had his reasons for not shaking George Sotiropoulos' hand following his third-round TKO victory at UFC on FX 6.
Pearson (14-6 MMA, 6-3 UFC) told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that Sotiropoulos (14-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) punched his assistant boxing coach off-camera over a Twitter beef.
The boxing coach, Erin Beach, then knocked out Sotiropoulos.
"That's why I said I lost all respect for him, and that's why I didn't shake his hands afterward," Pearson said. "That's why I'm not his friend now – because he acted unprofessional."

GOLD COAST, Australia – "The Ultimate Fighter: Team Australia vs. Team UK" contestant Ben Alloway might not have taken home the show's welterweight crown, but he left far from empty-handed.
Alloway was awarded a $25,000 bonus for the best fight of the season on the reality show in addition to the $40,000 he banked for "Knockout of the Night" at UFC on FX 6. His opponent on the show, Brad Scott, also took home $25,000.
In other bonuses, Robert Whittaker, who won the welterweight reality show tourney, and Colin Fletcher, the lightweight runner-up, each earned $25,000 bonuses for KO and submission of the season, respectively.

UFC On FX 6 delivered with solid action throughout the night. In the main event Ross Pearson further exposed the standing weakness of Georges Sotiropoulos. The only time Pearson was in trouble was late in the first round. He finished the fight less than a minute into the third with the lead left hook head been landing all night. TUF: The Smashes crowned it's winners in Lightweight Norman Parke and Welterweight Robert Whittaker who both delivered exciting fights.

GOLD COAST, Australia – By the end of a Q&A session with UFC fans, Dan Hardy decided he wants to fight Matt Brown, who recently called him out on Twitter, and still isn't interested in a fight with Matt Riddle.